scholarly journals Assessment of soil quality for guided fertilization in 7 barley agro-ecological areas of China

PLoS ONE ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. e0261638
Author(s):  
Yu Zhou ◽  
Yingcheng Fan ◽  
Guang Lu ◽  
Anyong Zhang ◽  
Ting Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Quality ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Factor Loading ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Soil Parameters ◽  
Soil Quality Index ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Soil Quality Improvement ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

Soil quality is the basis for the development of sustainable agriculture and may be used for evaluating the sustainability of soil management practices. Soil quality status and integrated soil quality index (SQI) in sampled 97 farmlands distributed in 7 barley agro-ecological areas of China were analyzed by using 13 soil chemical parameters. The results showed six principal components totally explained 72% variability for the 13 parameters and identified 9 parameters (includes pH, NH4+-N, NO3--N, available P, available K, exchangeable Mg, DTPA-Fe, DTPA-Cu and Cl-) with high factor loading values as the minimum data set (MDS) for assessing soil quality. Average soil quality of all farmlands is moderate (SQI = 0.62). The SQI of barley farmlands in 7 agro-ecological areas showed the following order: Inner Mongolia Plateau (0.75 ± 0.02) > Yunnan-Kweichow Plateau (0.72 ± 0.06) > Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (0.63 ± 0.08) > Yangtze Plain (0.62 ± 0.10) > Huanghuai Region (0.58 ± 0.09) > Northeast China Plain (0.56 ± 0.07) > Xinjiang Province (0.54 ± 0.07). Total 29 out of 97 farmlands in 7 areas have low SQI level (< 0.55). Hence, these farmlands require urgent attention for soil quality improvement through modification of the soil parameters in the MDS.

Assessment of tillage effects on soil quality of pastures in South Africa with indexing methods

Soil Research ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 274 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. A. Swanepoel ◽  
C. C. du Preez ◽  
P. R. Botha ◽  
H. A. Snyman ◽  
J. Habig
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
Warning Signs ◽  
Chemical Degradation ◽  
Soil Quality Index ◽  
Physical Quality ◽  
Soil Physical Quality

Soil quality of pastures changes through time because of management practices. Excessive soil disturbance usually leads to the decline in soil quality, and this has resulted in concerns about kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum)–ryegrass (Lolium spp.) pasture systems in the southern Cape region of South Africa. This study aimed to understand the effects of tillage on soil quality. The soil management assessment framework (SMAF) and the locally developed soil quality index for pastures (SQIP) were used to assess five tillage systems and were evaluated at a scale inclusive of variation in topography, pedogenic characteristics and local anthropogenic influences. Along with assessment of overall soil quality, the quality of the physical, chemical and biological components of soil were considered individually. Soil physical quality was largely a function of inherent pedogenic characteristics but tillage affected physical quality adversely. Elevated levels of certain nutrients may be warning signs to soil chemical degradation; however, tillage practice did not affect soil chemical quality. Soil disturbance and the use of herbicides to establish annual pastures has lowered soil biological quality. The SQIP was a more suitable tool than SMAF for assessing soil quality of high-input, dairy-pasture systems. SQIP could facilitate adaptive management by land managers, environmentalists, extension officers and policy makers to assess soil quality and enhance understanding of processes affecting soil quality.

scholarly journals The Assessment of Soil Quality Index for Paddy Fields with Indicator Biology in Jatipurno Districts, Wonogirl

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 20
Author(s):  
Supriyadi Supriyadi ◽  
Widyatmani Sih Dewi ◽  
Desmiasari Nugrahani ◽  
Adila Azza Rahmah ◽  
Haryuni Haryuni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Quality ◽  
Quality Index ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Biological Indicators ◽  
Paddy Fields ◽  
Soil Quality Index ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Organic Rice ◽  
Minimum Data

Increased rice needs in an extensive use of paddy fields in the Jatipurno, Wonogiri. Managing rice fields can reduce soil quality. Proper management can improve soil quality, Jatipurno has management such as organic, semi-organic and inorganic paddy field management which have a real effect on soil quality. Assessment of soil quality is measured by physical, chemical and biological indicators, where each factor has a different effect. The chemical indicators are often used as the main indicators for determining soil quality, whereas every parameter has the opportunity to be the main indicator. So, biological indicators can play indicators. The main indicators are obtained from the correlation test (p-values &le; 0,05 - &lt; 0,01) and Principal Component Analysis with high value, eigenvalues &gt; 1 have the potential to be used as Minimum Data Sets. The result is biological can be able to use as the Minimum Data Set such as microbial carbon biomass, respiration, and total bacterial colonies. The Soil Quality Index (SQI) of various paddy management practices shows very low to low soil quality values. The management of organic rice systems shows better Soil Quality Index with a score of 0,20 compared to other management. The practice of organic rice management shows that it can improve soil quality.

scholarly journals Assessment of farmers’ indigenous knowledge of soil quality management practices in Ghana: A case study of crop farmers in Ada West District

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 830-839
Author(s):  
Benedicta Y. Fosu-Mensah ◽  
Sarah Maku Adjovu ◽  
Ted Yemoh Annang ◽  
Michael Mensah
Keyword(s):  
Indigenous Knowledge ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Soil Amendments ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Factor Loading ◽  
Inorganic Fertilizer ◽  
Available Phosphorus ◽  
Soil Productivity ◽  
Data Set

The efforts to increase soil productivity has been ?eld-based experiments with little information on farmers’ indigenous knowledge of soil quality acquired through experience. This study assessed farmers’ indigenous knowledge on soil quality and fertility management practices in the Ada West District of Ghana. Two hundred-and-twelve farmers from five communities were interviewed using pre-tested questionnaires. Fifteen farmers each from four communities identified and classified their soil into high, medium and low soil quality. Thirty-six soil samples were collected based on farmers’ categorization and analysed to determine some physicochemical properties to determine the differences in soil quality categories. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to select effective indicators as the Minimum Data Set (MDS). Results showed that 89% of farmers’ use soil amendments out of which 71.1% combined organic and inorganic fertilizer, 19.6% applied only organic and 9.3% applied only inorganic fertilizer. The soil quality indicators used by farmers were based on visually observable indicators such as soil colour, presence of living organism, soil moisture, vigour plant growth, crop yield, soil texture, presence of plants and weeds, erosion and thickness of topsoil. Farmers’ soil quality categorization was contrary to the laboratory reports although soils from perceived high quality were relatively higher than medium and low. In PC1 electrical conductivity, available phosphorus, organic carbon, organic matter, calcium, and magnesium had a higher positive loading. In PC2, sand and silt had the highest factor loading while clay and sodium had the highest factor loading for PC3 and PC4 respectively. Farmers have good knowledge on soil quality but did not know the rate of soil amendments to apply. Farmers’ indigenous knowledge should be supplemented with scientific soil information. There is need for more training and education on application rates of soil amendments.

scholarly journals Environmental soil quality index and indicators for a coal mining soil

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 617-638 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. E. Masto ◽  
S. Sheik ◽  
G. Nehru ◽  
V. A. Selvi ◽  
J. George ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coal Mining ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Quality Index ◽  
Underground Mining ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Soil Parameters ◽  
Soil Quality Index ◽  
Mining Sites ◽  
Opencast Mine

Abstract. Assessment of soil quality is one of the key parameters for evaluation of environmental contamination in the mining ecosystem. To investigate the effect of coal mining on soil quality, opencast and underground mining sites were selected in the Raniganj Coafield area, India. The physical, chemical, biological parameters, heavy metals, and PAHs contents of the soils were evaluated. Soil dehydrogenase (+79%) and fluorescein (+32%) activities were significantly higher in underground mine (UGM) soil, whereas peroxidase activity (+57%) was higher in opencast mine (OCM) soil. Content of As, Be, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, and Pb was significantly higher in OCM soil, whereas, Cd was higher in UGM. In general, the PAHs contents were higher in UGM soils probably due to the natural coal burning in these sites. The observed values for the above properties were converted into a unit less score (0–1.00) and the scores were integrated into environmental soil quality index (ESQI). In the unscreened index (ESQI-1) all the soil parameters were included and the results showed that the quality of the soil was better for UGM (0.539) than the OCM (0.511) soils. Principal component analysis was employed to derive ESQI-2 and accordingly, total PAHs, loss on ignition, bulk density, Be, Co, Cr, Ni, Pb, and microbial quotient (respiration: microbial biomass ratio) were found to be the most critical properties. The ESQI-2 was also higher for soils near UGM (+10.1%). The proposed ESQI may be employed to monitor soil quality changes due to anthropogenic interventions.

scholarly journals Farmland management effects on the quality of surface soil during oasification in the southern rim of the Tarim Basin in Xinjiang, China

2010 ◽  
Vol 56 (No. 7) ◽  
pp. 348-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.W. Gui ◽  
J.Q. Lei ◽  
F.J. Zeng
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Tarim Basin ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Sustainable Land Use ◽  
Soil Quality Index ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Management Effects

Oasification and desertification are basic geographical processes in arid areas, and both change the soil properties and quality. Recently, oasification has been obvious in the southern rim of the Tarim Basin of Xinjiang, China, and agriculture is the main land-use type. There has been little research on oasification involving farmland of different management types in extremely arid regions. In 2004, four experimental fields were established in the Cele Oasis, representing four typical land-use types of local farmers' tillage practices during oasification. Three experimental fields were situated in the desert-oasis ecotone: newly cultivated land (NEF), a field with normal manure input (NMF), and a field with high manure input (HMF); there was also another field in the oasis interior (OIF), to allow analysis of the management effects on soil properties and soil quality of farmlands. Additionally, the soil from an uncultivated control plot was analyzed for comparison. Both a Soil Quality Index based on soil properties and a Sustainable Yield Index based on yearly yield were used to assess the soil quality of the different farmlands. There were significant differences in seven soil indicators, including soil particle size distribution and soil organic matter, between the four locations. NEF had the lowest and OIF the highest values in all assessments among the five experiment plots. Fertilization of NMF and HMF had positive effects on soil properties and soil quality; however, the sustainable productivity of these farmlands was low. The results should be beneficial for refining agricultural management practices and improving sustainable land use in the oasification process.

scholarly journals A comprehensive, locally adapted soil quality indexing under different land uses in a typical watershed of the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

2021 ◽  
Vol 125 ◽  
pp. 107445
Author(s):  
Xiaohong Zhao ◽  
Miaomiao Tong ◽  
Yuejun He ◽  
Xiuru Han ◽  
Lingqing Wang
Keyword(s):  
Soil Quality ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Land Uses ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

scholarly journals Identification of sensitive indicators to assess the interrelationship between soil quality, management practices and human health

SOIL ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 173-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Zornoza ◽  
J. A. Acosta ◽  
F. Bastida ◽  
S. G. Domínguez ◽  
D. M. Toledo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Aggregate Stability ◽  
Health Indicators ◽  
Nutrient Content ◽  
Sustainable Land Use ◽  
Soil Quality Index

Abstract. Soil quality (SQ) assessment has long been a challenging issue, since soils present high variability in properties and functions. This paper aims to increase the understanding of SQ through the review of SQ assessments in different scenarios providing evidence about the interrelationship between SQ, land use and human health. There is a general consensus that there is a need to develop methods to assess and monitor SQ for assuring sustainable land use with no prejudicial effects on human health. This review points out the importance of adopting indicators of different nature (physical, chemical and biological) to achieve a holistic image of SQ. Most authors use single indicators to assess SQ and its relationship with land uses – soil organic carbon and pH being the most used indicators. The use of nitrogen and nutrient content has resulted sensitive for agricultural and forest systems, together with physical properties such as texture, bulk density, available water and aggregate stability. These physical indicators have also been widely used to assess SQ after land use changes. The use of biological indicators is less generalized, with microbial biomass and enzyme activities being the most selected indicators. Although most authors assess SQ using independent indicators, it is preferable to combine some of them into models to create a soil quality index (SQI), since it provides integrated information about soil processes and functioning. The majority of revised articles used the same methodology to establish an SQI, based on scoring and weighting of different soil indicators, selected by means of multivariate analyses. The use of multiple linear regressions has been successfully used for forest land use. Urban soil quality has been poorly assessed, with a lack of adoption of SQIs. In addition, SQ assessments where human health indicators or exposure pathways are incorporated are practically inexistent. Thus, further efforts should be carried out to establish new methodologies to assess soil quality not only in terms of sustainability, productivity and ecosystem quality but also human health. Additionally, new challenges arise with the use and integration of stable isotopic, genomic, proteomic and spectroscopic data into SQIs.

scholarly journals Soil quality indicators of arable lands in the Russian Federation

2020 ◽  
pp. 31-67
Author(s):  
V. S. Stolbovoy ◽  
A. M. Grebennikov
Keyword(s):  
Soil Quality ◽  
Quality Indicators ◽  
Russian Federation ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Soil Parameters ◽  
Soil Quality Indicators ◽  
Agricultural Lands ◽  
Grain Crops ◽  
The Russian Federation

The study presents three groups of Soil Quality Indicators (SQI) of arable lands in the Russian Federation, such as agroclimate conditions, soil parameters and negative soil characteristics. The selection of SQI meets the requirements of the crop growth model for calculating the standard crop yield. The application of SQI in the Grain Equivalent Model allows ranking quality of the soils of agricultural lands in the country. The share of the best quality Chernozems with the standard yield of grain crops exceeding 4 t/ha is about 10%. At the same time, arable Chernozems occupy nearly 66% of total area of agricultural lands. More than 74% of the arable lands including podzolized and leached Chernozems in the northern part and Chernozems southern in the southern part of the agricultural zone are characterized by medium quality with the standard yield of grain crops 2-4 t/ha. About 10% of the arable land occupied by Chestnut solonetzic and saline soils are of poorer quality with the standard yield of grain crops less than 1 t/ha. The proposed indicators are included in the government programs for valuating and monitoring the quality of agricultural lands. The universal validity of indicators is a basis for the development of a new generation of standards for the protection and rational use of soils based on modern digital technologies and GIS approaches.

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